THE 10-year-old Adekoya Wariz, who was beaten to death by his father in Ijebu-Igbo area of Ogun State, once told a neighbour, Baba Olaolu, that he usually stole N50 from his step-mother’s handbag because he needed it to buy gari and groundnut, as he was always denied food. According to Olaolu, Wariz’s step-mother would tell his father that the money Wariz stole was N200 or more, resulting in constant beating, without getting a chance to tell his side of the story. Meanwhile, Wariz’s 37-year-old father, Rasaq Adekoya, has expressed regret, saying his intention was not to kill him. Adekoya, a Muslim cleric, told detectives at the homicide section of the Ogun State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, CIID, Eleweran, Abeokuta, that his son, Wariz, slumped while he was beating him, over an allegation that he stole a phone at a social function. He also accused his late son of always stealing his step-mother’s money. Vanguard gathered that Rasaq got married to a second wife, after separating from his first wife and mother of late Wariz. Neighbours alleged that late Wariz, a primary school pupil, had been subjected to battering, at the slightest provocation, from his father who always accused him of stealing his wife’s money. One of his neighbours, Bosede Ayodele said Rasaq Adekoya was once reported to security agents and was cautioned. ‘I stole to buy food’ Another neighbours, who gave his name as Baba Olaolu, said: “We have warned Alfa (suspect) several times to desist from beating his son, but he would not listen. He accused him of always stealing his wife’s money. “At a point, I invited the boy to find out why he was always stealing. But he told me that he usually took the money to buy food any time he was hungry. “He also revealed that most times, he went to school on empty stomach and by the time he would return home, there would be no food. “He said he would be tempted to steal N50 from his step mother’s hand bag, which he used to buy gari and groundnut. He also claimed that at times, he would end up going to bed without food. “He also claimed that his step-mother usually lied against him by claiming that the amount stolen was N200 or above and that his father would not give him any chance to explain his side of the story. “When the battering became too much, we contacted his mother who lives in Lagos State, to come for her son. She kept promising to do so until this happened.”

‘I didn’t mean to kill him’ However during interrogation, the suspect said he did not intentionally kill his son. Explaining what happened, Adekoya said: “Wariz stole a phone at a party. When the news reached me, I was very bitter and at the same time ashamed that a child I gave birth to could disgrace me publicly by stealing other people’s things. “That was not the first time he had stolen. He usually stole money belonging to his step-mother, despite the fact that we did not starve him of food. When I called him to ask where he kept the stolen phone, he could not give any reason for stealing or revealed where the phone was. “Out of annoyance, I descended on him without knowing it would lead to his death.”